Foresters
Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources · Natural Resources Systems
Pay and outlook shown for
New workers start near $60,590; experienced workers reach $101,980. About 210 people do this job in Texas.
Job outlook
U.S. projection, 2024 to 2034.
- Employment change
- +1%
- Openings a year
- 1,100
- Employed in 2024
- 13,800
Typical entry education: Bachelor's degree
Alamo Colleges programs that lead here
No program is mapped to this career yet. Many careers start from a transfer pre-major or a related program.
Browse all programsSkills this career uses
The skills O*NET rates most important for the job, with how much of each the work needs on a 1 to 7 scale.
- Active Listening4.0
- Complex Problem Solving4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking4.0
- Writing4.1
- Judgment and Decision Making4.1
- Monitoring4.0
What the work is
Manage public and private forested lands for economic, recreational, and conservation purposes. May inventory the type, amount, and location of standing timber, appraise the timber's worth, negotiate the purchase, and draw up contracts for procurement. May determine how to conserve wildlife habitats, creek beds, water quality, and soil stability, and how best to comply with environmental regulations. May devise plans for planting and growing new trees, monitor trees for healthy growth, and determine optimal harvesting schedules.
- Monitor contract compliance and results of forestry activities to assure adherence to government regulations.
- Establish short- and long-term plans for management of forest lands and forest resources.
- Supervise activities of other forestry workers.
- Choose and prepare sites for new trees, using controlled burning, bulldozers, or herbicides to clear weeds, brush, and logging debris.
- Plan and supervise forestry projects, such as determining the type, number and placement of trees to be planted, managing tree nurseries, thinning forest and monitoring growth of new seedlings.
- Negotiate terms and conditions of agreements and contracts for forest harvesting, forest management and leasing of forest lands.
Education people in this job have
Share of workers by highest education, from O*NET surveys. It shows what others did, not what you must do.
- Certificate1%
- Some college1%
- Associate degree13%
- Bachelor's degree84%
- Master's degree1%
Job zone 4, considerable preparation: Usually a bachelor's degree, sometimes a strong associate plus experience.
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